TSAP is happy to present an excerpt from The Triumphs of Scoliosis: Chapter Book, written by our founder, Kimberly Ann Cunanan Garza.
Please enjoy reading the chapter below.
Chapter 4: First Experiences
As Dr. Valencia suggested, Mom helped me try on Cindy. She was made of thick, sturdy white plastic, with three Velcro straps on the back to secure the whole brace around me.
With each strap my Mom fastened, I gasped. It felt tight, like it was squeezing the breath out of me.
After Cindy was on securely, I took in a deep breath.
“How is Cindy?” Dr. Valencia asked.
“She feels very tight.” I responded. “But I know that she is supporting me!”
“Great!” Dr. Valencia said. “As I said before, it will take a while to adjust to wearing the brace, but please wear it consistently so we could see improvement, 23 hours a day! If there are any issues with your brace or you need a new one, please visit again. Best of luck!”
“Thank you!” Mom and I said once again.
Next stop would be Majesty Physical Therapy. The first challenge was getting into the car.
I bent my knees, swung my legs into the car and plopped on the seat. “Ha ha, I did it!”
“Good job, malagu!” Mom answered excitedly. “We will arrive at physical therapy in about twenty minutes.”
Sitting in the car with my brace on was alright during the first few minutes. After that, I started feeling pressure, like something was pushing into my stomach and hips. My breath became short.
“How are you?” Mom asked.
“Cindy’s starting to hurt. How much longer until we arrive? Can I take her off?” I responded hurriedly.
“Fifteen minutes. No malagu, you need to get used to wearing Cindy. It will hurt at first, but we want your spine to be straighter. Just try to take a nap, and we will be there before you know it.”
I closed my eyes. The pressure seemed to close in on me, but Mom was right. It will only feel like this until I’m used to Cindy. If I want to strengthen my spine, my body and mind have to be strong too.
“We’re here!” I heard Mom’s voice in the distance. I opened my eyes slowly, not realizing I did fall asleep.
“Good, you were able to take a nap. Well, let’s go see what kind of exercises can strengthen your back!”
A physical therapist greeted us as soon as we entered the clinic. “Hi, I’m Ms. Fawn. You can call me Stacey. It’s so nice to meet you!”
“Nice to meet you, Stacey.” Mom and I said.
“Before we can create an exercise plan, I need to run some diagnostics so you can get used to moving around comfortably in your brace.” Stacey explained.
For the session, Stacey asked me to do everyday actions such as sitting on a chair, laying down, picking up toys from the ground and tying my shoes. These simple tasks were hard to do at first, but I repeated each action until it was comfortable.
“You did wonderful!” Stacey exclaimed. “We will have physical therapy sessions over the course of a month, and you will be given a sheet of exercises to continue doing at home so your back remains strong. Since you are just starting with your brace, try wearing it for two hours at a time until you can wear it for 23 hours a day. I’ll see you next week for the first session!”
“Thank you, we appreciate it!” Mom and I responded.
The next week, I attended my first physical therapy session. I did exercises such as side leg raises, cat stretches, and laying stomach down on a skateboard and rolling myself across the room using only my arms. The exercises were tiring, but they were really fun to do and I felt like my back was becoming stronger.
“You are doing amazing!” Stacey said. “Here is a sheet of exercises to do at home until your next session. You are allowed to take off your brace for 30 minutes to complete these exercises. By the time you go back to school, you will be able to move around as before! Also, remember to remove your brace during physical education (PE) and put it back on afterward, and be careful when doing activities. I’ll see you soon!”
“Yes, I will do that, thank you. See you soon!” I responded.
As Stacey instructed, I wore Cindy for two hours at a time until I could wear her all day. The first few times I sat down for a longer period of time, I felt pressure on my ribs and hips, and it felt hard to breathe. I had to constantly stand up to relieve the pressure. Also, the first nights wearing Cindy were restless and it was difficult to find a comfortable position to sleep. However, I was consistent with wearing Cindy, and each day in my brace became easier.
For the rest of the summer, I wore Cindy for 23 hours each day, practiced taking her on and off by myself, cleaned her every night and continued the exercises each day.
At the follow-up appointment with Dr. Mill, he ordered for me to get two x-rays, one with the brace and one without. He compared the two, and Mom and I could see that my spine with the brace on was less curvy than without.
It was amazing to see physical proof that wearing Cindy and doing exercises for my back really was working to straighten my spine. My treatment was going great, and I was motivated to continue treatment and see my spine become straighter.
Interested in reading more? The Triumphs of Scoliosis: Chapter Book is available for purchase through the Blurb Bookstore. TSAP greatly appreciates your support!
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